n

n

n

nAfter some time, Franklin returned from helping the Palleo Kingdom.

nWhen he arrived, he was a little surprised by how chaotic the Obsidian Desert had become. There were too many ongoing fights between factions, and some syndicates were rampaging across the land. The Palleo Kingdom was barely maintaining its position due to its strong military power.

n

"The Obsidian Desert isn't in a good situation. If things get worse, it will affect the Hall Plains,

" Franklin remarked.

nAlice, Eilish, and the other upper echelons of Astros were sitting around a table, discussing their plans in case a war erupted in the region.

n

"From what I see, the Palleo Kingdom could still hold on for a month or two. After that, it will descend into total chaos,

" Franklin said.

nEilish looked at them and said,

"Isn't this the Dragon Council's job? We should inform them about this; we'll just need to provide support.

"

n

"Dragon Council. Message them about it, and I'm sure they'll hold a meeting regarding the situation in the Obsidian Desert,

" Torkez replied.

nThe group discussed the matter for a while before dismissing the meeting.

nAfter everyone left, Alice sighed as she stood up. She walked toward the window and looked outside, wondering what Souta was doing at that moment.

nThe sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the cobblestone streets of Ekatoe.

nEilish and the others left the meeting room, leaving Alice alone. Eilish went to the garden and found her brother with the two kids, Aina and Anzu.

n

"Sister Eilish!!

" Aina exclaimed, raising both of her hands.

nEilish smiled gently as she patted Aina's head. She then glanced at her brother and said,

"Let's go; I'll take you out to the city.

"

nThe four of them set off for the city.

nEkatoe City.

nCompared to before, Ekatoe City was now a bustling place filled with all sorts of goods coming from everywhere. It had become one of the most prosperous cities in Mine Valley.

nThe streets of Ekatoe were alive with the sounds of merchants showcasing their products to the people.

n

"Fresh apples!! Spices from the north!!

"

nThe vendors shouted, trying to attract more customers. The aroma of their products filled the streets as people darted from one stall to another.

nEilish, Eilan, and the two kids strolled through the bustling streets.

nWhile they were exploring the city, a witch arrived at Astros through the portal of the Guardian Fortress. He came from the other side, where Doranjan was training the monsters.

nThe witch immediately entered the building and approached the office. He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

nKnock! Knock!

n

"Come in!

"

nUpon hearing those words, he slowly opened the door and saw Lady Alice behind the desk.

n

"I have a report from the other side,

" he said as he walked forward and placed a pile of papers on the desk.

nAlice looked at the papers for a moment before she nodded and said,

"Good job, you can go now.

"

n

"Thank you,

" the witch replied, bowing before leaving the office.

n

"Hmm...

" Alice picked up the report and turned around. The contents were quite promising; it seemed that Doranjan's efforts were paying off.

nThe report stated that four monsters had already reached the third evolution, and another two were expected to evolve next week.

nAccording to Doranjan's calculations, by the end of this month, two squads of third-stage monsters would be born.

nAs for the fourth stage, it was still far too early for that level to appear.

n...

nVashno and Eztein were on the training ground, watching the soldiers train.

n

"Their skills are impressive. In terms of swordsmanship alone, they are already veterans. Even their hand-to-hand combat skills are improving,

" Vashno commented.

n

"That's what our boss wants. He doesn't want our soldiers to be fragile experts. He wants a group of elites—not just strong in terms of power level, but skilled as well. Even the mages are becoming more proficient,

" Eztein replied.

nThe mages under Eilish were training hard. Eilish had them spar using only one spell without any additional boosts. They needed to learn when and where it would be the perfect time to cast their spells.

nCasting spells alone wasn't enough.

nThe same applied to the soldiers. Using combat skills alone wasn't sufficient; they had to utilize those skills at the right moment.

n

"Ah~ I'm tired...

"

nEztein yawned as he lay down on the grass, staring up at the beautiful blue sky.

n

"How did I even end up in this situation?

" he muttered.

nVashno glanced at him and asked,

"Speaking of which, do you know Souta well?

"

n

"Not really, but it feels like it's been a long time since I met our boss,

" Eztein replied with a

nsigh.

n

"Oh? How did you meet Souta?

" Vashno asked, intrigued.

n

"Well, it's not something I'm proud of, but I fought our boss before. He captured me and let that witch, Amanda, torture me. It was a horrible experience. I always shudder when I think about it,

" Eztein explained with a frown.

n

"At that time, I thought I was going to suffer until I died. Well, it's natural, since I'm their enemy—I would have done the same to them if I had won that fight. I really thought I was going to suffer, you know?

" He looked at his hands and continued,

"I don't know how, or maybe it's because of the parasite inside my body, but I don't really care about it. The boss treats his subordinates well compared to my previous boss, so I have nothing to complain about. The only thing I regret is my parents.

"

n

"Parents? You have parents?

" Vashno was surprised.

n

"Of course! How could I be born into this world without parents?

"

n

"Not that. I thought everyone in your family besides you had died.

"

n

"Anyway, my parents are still alive and they hold pretty high positions in my previous organization. Well, I don't really care about them.

"

n

"You said your regret is your parents, yet you're saying now that you don't care. You're

nconfusing me.

"

n

"I mean, I wanted to meet my parents to see their reactions. You know, I'm just a product of a political marriage, and they really don't care about me.

"

nEztein suddenly paused, narrowing his eyes as he pointed at the sky.

"Wait! What's that?

"

nVashno looked up and saw the same thing. He furrowed his brows and muttered,

"Those are

npeople...?

"

nThe figures stood in the sky, looking down at the city.

nIn the next second, a massive surge of energy erupted, accompanied by a glass-shattering sound that reverberated throughout the entire city.

nBang!!

nFragments fell from the sky as a huge hole seemed to appear above.

n

"What...?

"

nEztein and Vashno widened their eyes at the sight before them.

nAlice, Franklin, and the others who were in different places looked up at the fragments falling

nfrom above.

nEvery single person in Ekatoe City witnessed the scene. Something above the city had

nshattered.

nSwoosh!!

nAs the fragments fell, the figures in the sky descended and struck different areas around the

ncity like meteors.

nBoom!!

nA series of explosions erupted in an instant, causing panic everywhere.

nAlice stood at the window, witnessing the destruction before her eyes. She was shocked, but

nshe quickly regained her senses after a moment.

nShe waved her hand, and her voice echoed,

"Everyone, focus on evacuating the civilians!

nDon't engage in a fight carelessly!

"

nThe soldiers of Astros would prioritize evacuating the civilians while the higher-ups, like

nAlice and the others, would try to confront the intruders.

nSwoosh!!

nAlice turned her head as she sensed a powerful presence approaching.

n

"Who?

"

nShe saw a man with white hair suspended in the air, gazing at the building she was in. The

nmere presence of this man alone exerted immense pressure on her.

nThere was no doubt that this man was leagues above her current level.

nIt wasn't looking good.

n

"Let's start!

" The man with white hair muttered as he raised his hand. In the next instant, several rays of

nenergy were fired from his palms.

nBoom! Boom!!

nExplosions erupted around Astros, destroying several facilities. Smoke and flames engulfed

nthe area, affecting countless people who lived there.

nHowever, the man with white hair was not yet satisfied. Just as he was about to launch another

nattack, a powerful energy surged from the City Lord's building.

nOhm!!

nThe man with white hair narrowed his eyes and said,

"Come, I'll take you.

"

nThe City Lord's building collapsed as several serpentine heads burst out of it, carrying a

nmassive amount of best feram. The monster unfurled its wings as it stared at the man with

nwhite hair.

nROAR!!

nThe fierce roar reverberated through the area, shaking everything around. Alice immediately retreated, realizing that Kessa was about to face the invader. She stood at a distance, observing the invader, and noticed something familiar.

nThe insignia on the man's robe was recognizable to her.

n

"The Gluttony Army.

" Alice felt a sense of gloom upon realizing the identity of the invader.

n

n